You Needed Me
by DiNozzo and Gibbs addict
Summary: When Bull wasn't there for his girlfriend and they have split up, she goes off to meet her father after having lost the man that she thought was her father, as well as beginning a new job as an FBI agent in DC. On the day before she is arrested she tells her father that if anything happens to her he should contact Bull. Story is AU & based around the end of season 2 of Bull!
1. Chapter 1

**NCIS/Bull**

 **You Needed Me**

 **Chapter 1.**

Just when everything seemed to be going really well in her life, everything for Annabella came crashing down all at once.

After her last relationship had broken down in New York, as an FBI agent she had transferred to the DC office, but she did also have an ulterior motive for also making the move because after so many years of trying to find out who her father was, she had made that discovery and had tried to meet him.

When she was born her mom had originally come from the UK and had been a prison officer in London, which was how she had met the man that had been Annabella's father, but they lost touch when he returned to the US once again. After finding out she was pregnant, she had travelled to the US to find the man, but with not having any luck with tracing him, but then finding out he was an agent of some sort for the federal government, she guessed that he must have been on an undercover operation and after that she didn't really think she would ever find him again, so just before making the return journey home to the UK she had gone to New York on a few days break before she was planning on making her return.

All that was to change though because the friends she went to stay with while in New York had got another friend staying with them while he was on leave from the marines, she had gone onto falling in love with him and with knowing the story of Annabella's father, after she was born he had adopted her.

Over the years Annabella had always thought Anthony was her father, but when fate once again took a horrible turn with him ending up being killed in action on what was supposed to have been his final tour of Afghanistan, well that was what they had thought had happened, but it turned out he had been murdered.

While the investigation was going on, she kept wondering what was going on because of how her mom and the investigator kept acting around each other, but as she was still quite young her mom wouldn't tell her anything about what was going on between them, saying she was too young to know, so it was just let go.

When she had finally settled down into her work at the FBI, her mom had become sick, even though things turned out to be for the better and she went into remission, at one stage they had a worry that perhaps she may not make it so finally her mom had told her the truth about who her father really was and that it had been the agent that had been investigating the man she had thought was her real dad, was actually her real father.

It was around the same time as her mom was sick and with being so busy with her job and her boyfriend was busy with his own job, plus his slight obsession with his job meaning he spent a lot of time sleeping at his office, plus there were also times when she was getting worried about his health, which had caused arguments. Just as she was about to head to DC to approach her father they finally decided that they would call an end to their relationship.

While she was in DC and had finally admitted the truth to the man that was her father, he accepted it all and admitted that he had suspected something while they were investigating her father's death, but he hadn't dared to ask anything because of the grief that her mom was going through. With the way that she had guessed with what had happened with her boyfriend and because after that initial meeting with her father they had agreed that they did really want to get to know each other, she knew returning to New York would probably make things that bit harder. So she put in for the transfer and got it.

When she had joined a new team with the FBI in DC, she was also lucky because as well as getting the job, with the team being a new one she won a promotion and was now a team leader. At the same time, though there was a man working on another team she seemed to think he had something against her because of the way he would interact with her, so she would keep her distance from him as best as she could.

The thing that ended up being the start of her downfall was when a body was found that ended up being connected to her father's own murder, so she didn't even go down to the crime scene with her team and straight away got herself taken off of the case itself. That night she went tosee her father working on the boat in his basement and she asked if he thought it was possible he was one of the people involved in it, but he assured her they had got everyone that had been involved, and even though right at the start of things there had been a rumour, that someone may have tried to pay those people off to do the murder they had completely discounted it.

A few days into the investigation though she got the feeling she was being set up as the murderer, despite her having a great alibi, seeing as not only was she with her father, she was also with the rest of the team. It had also been that night she had said to her father that if anything happened to her, then he was to call one Dr. Jason Bull and was to get his help. He told her she needn't worry because it wouldn't come down to that, but a few days later he was proved wrong when she was taken into custody and charged with murder, not only that they also couldn't get her out on bail either.

 **New York**

They had just wrapped up on the case they had been working on, as Bull was just catching up on some paperwork before they all left for the night, when his desk phone rang, which he answered to be met by a voice saying "I'm special agent Gibbs and in Washington DC and I was told to call you because we need your help."

"How can I help you agent Gibbs?"

He answers "My daughter Annabella told me to contact you if anything happened to her, but she has been arrested and charged with murder, the person who has done this is so good at setting her up he has even created doubt over her alibi and she said you would be the only person who would get to the truth."

"You mean Annabella Watson?"

"I do."

Bull replies "Ok I will get to you in a few hours, my team will get there by tomorrow."

As they end the call Bull gets straight up and goes to the door of the office and then asks Marissa to come in as she does so he has just finished booking himself onto the first flight to DC. Seeing the look on his face she says "What is it Bull?"

He answers with a sigh "I had a call from Bella's father in DC, she needs our help and I know very little until I get there, but she's been charged with murder and told him to get in touch with me because I was the only one she knew could help her. I'm going back to my apartment now to get some stuff and I'm on the next flight to DC. I want you and the team to follow me tomorrow and bring everything with you. In the meantime I want you all to get on the case for me and find out what's going on, Danny may have to use some of her contacts in the FBI to find out. As soon as I get there, I will let you know what I find out."

"Will do Bull, are you sure about this though?"

"I'm very sure Marissa, look I know that since everything that happened I've been doing a lot of reflecting, and I know that time was a big factor in everything and that I ended up pushing her away in the end, and I didn't exactly support her with all this finding her father stuff was going on, and yes I know that it's only been a few months we've been apart, but as she told her father to contact me I hope there still might be a chance that she may forgive me in time. Yes, I know that things might be hard to start off with for the both of us, and I have my doubts she will ever want a relationship again, but if we can at least end up being on speaking terms with one another again, I will be happy with that. The main thing is we need to get her out of prison and work on finding out how she is being set up for this murder."

Marissa then adds "And you know that you will also have to tell her about what happened with the heart attack, because I know that she was very worried that you were building to something like that, and she deserves the truth Bull."

"I know she does, but I may wait for her to get out first, as I think a conversation like that needs to happen in private. I know that by the time I get there it will be too late to see her, but I will go straight and see agent Gibbs, then I aim to go and see her in the morning, I will call you if I have any problems to see if you can get me in there instead."

She says "Get me where she's being held, as I may be able to see if I have any contacts there, then you might get in there. So what are we going to do about somewhere to set up?"

"I'm not sure, but I'll find somewhere when we get there."

 **DC**

When Bull arrived at the airport, he was very surprised when Gibbs was actually there to meet him, they shake hands and then go back to his house, once there Gibbs gives him the files for the case and also the files for the investigation into her father's death. He then says "I've got you into see her in the morning."

"Thank you because I was wondering if I'd get in there or not, even if we are a part of her legal team, who is her lawyer?"

Gibbs answers "I've got my friend Kerry Clark on this; she's about the only lawyer I actually trust."

"Ok, we'll get my lawyer Benny and her to work together on this, the only thing we will need is somewhere for my team to set up."

Gibbs answers "I spoke to the director Leon Vance, and he has said you can use the education block at the Navy Yard, for now I've given you the file for both cases, seeing as I've got a good friend and the FBI who wasn't working on this case, but even he can't work out what's going on with all this. It seems that the victim was allegedly involved in the murder of her father, and that is why she has supposed to have killed him. Since she bought all this up the night before she was arrested and the night she told me to get in contact with you if anything happened, I've been through this and I still can't see how he was involved with things or even that he could be a relation of one of those involved, which could be the only other reason I could see because he wouldn't have even left school or been serving at the time when her father was killed."

"We'll find out I promise." He pauses for a second and then adds "Look I think that I'd better be honest with agent Gibbs, there was something more between Annabella and myself, I was the reason behind her transfer here, because we were together and had a very bad break up, I know that there is still something there because of the way she told you to come to me with this, but I also know that I will have to work very hard to get her to completely forgive me, the top priority though is to work hard and get her out of this, but I will promise you that however this turns out and whatever happens between the two of us after it, then I promise you that I will never hurt her again and I am determined to make everything right between us again."

Gibbs says "I had a feeling that when she got here, she was hiding something and all she said was that a relationship hadn't gone well, nothing about it ending so she may have been thinking that perhaps there might be a chance for you both. So because of how you know her as you do I will warn you that she's changed since being put in there, and I am worried about her."

"How do you mean?"

Gibbs replies "I know that she will be stressed and worried in there, as am I, especially as she's supposed to be in solitary and I know that it is supposed to be safe, but there is no guarantee for that, so she would be on edge very much. The thing is, I don't think that through the worry she is eating properly, because she's started to loose weight already and is looking pale and tired, plus she's become insular."

"It could be down to the shock of all this for most of this, but of course a lot of it will be down to the worry. Look I've not got many contacts around this area, but I might get in touch with my ones in New York to see if they know anyone, because it might help her once we get her out of there, especially as I wouldn't like to say how much the things surrounding us might be affecting her still. So who do you think could be behind all this?"

Gibbs answers "For now my main feeling is for an FBI agent and his name is Ron Sacks, we have had a lot of trouble with him in the past. He may have had it in for her because when she got the transfer here she got a promotion as team lead, and he may have thought the job was his, not that I know if he went for it or not that is."

"What problems did you have with him before?"

He says "We got to know him first off when a former agent was accused of murder, in the end it turned out that agent DiNozzo had been set up by our former forensic scientist's assistant, even so months later he still thought that he had done it, even though it was well and truly proved to be the assistant. Then our liaison officer agent Ziva David was set up by Iranian intelligence, but again he was determined that she was guilty through the whole thing."

"It sounds like it could be feasible that he could have set her up for the fall, and when my team arrive I will certainly get them to look into him, because he could be doing it through jealousy or because he thought the job should be his, unless he could be a relative of one of the people that murdered her father and it was just a case of revenge for him."

Gibbs replies "Well whatever you need other than the facilities you have, we will do what we can to help you out."

"Thank you, as I'm sure that if it's ok with you, then we may need to have Danny from my team as liaison to the FBI with her being former FBI herself."

Gibbs says "I'm sure I can put her in touch with my contact and the same goes for if you need help with anything you're investigating, as even though as a team we've all been warned that we have to stay away, they do want to help where they can, especially with the lot of us being her true alibi because the night of the murder we'd just finished one of those cases that we never thought we would see the end of, so to celebrate that we'd gone out for a meal to celebrate as a team, and it being the dinner I'd promised her to celebrate us knowing the truth and because of the team wanting to get to know her better. The CCTV that the FBI has got along with evidence against her they have has all been doctored somehow, along with the CCTV at the restaurant we were all in that night as well."

"Well, I promise you that we will do what we can to both get her out of there and also prove what's been done to make her look guilty and I hope to get the person that's done all this to her, but for now I'd better get to the hotel so I'm ready to see her in the morning. I'll send a message to Marissa Morgan telling her about the hotel I've sorted for them and also about where we're setting up, so that then if I'm still with Annabella my team can be setting up rather than waiting until I get there."

Gibbs says "Tell them to ask for me, I know that the director has said he will also ensure that you all get temporary staff passes, so you can get into the building all the time without having to ask for one of us all the time, but they will me to let them in for the first time. Also send my love to Anna and tell her I will come and see her as soon as I can, but I know that it might not be for a few days because of getting you in there, even if it is classed as you being a part of her legal team."

"I will do." And with that Bull leaves for the hotel, once he gets there he calls Marissa to let her know what's going on and where he will be in the morning when they arrive, before he finally turns in for the night.

6


	2. Chapter 2

**You Needed Me**

 **Chapter 2.**

The next morning just as Bull was getting ready to leave for his prison visit to Annabella; it was just in time to run into Marissa and the rest of the team in the lobby, other than Benny. Marissa then told him that since she had passed on Kerry Clark's details to Benny the two of them had been talking and working hard on various things, so much so that Benny had gone straight to see Kerry on their arrival. They weren't sure if they were going to get anywhere or not, but Benny may have found enough in what Bull had managed to get to them so far to cast enough doubt on the case to at least hopefully get Annabella out on bail, so Bull wherever he was had to stand by his phone just in case. If he wasn't able to do that during the visit they would somehow ensure that they did get a message to him, because it was one of Benny and Kerry's plans to get the evidence they'd found and get it into a judge as soon as they could, even if it did mean it would end up being a last minute scramble.

So with that Bull told her that he would make sure his phone was on, but with not knowing if there was a chance of the news getting back to the person that had set Annabella before they got to court, that drove them to then do something to ensure that she remained in prison, if he did have to turn his phone off in there, then one of them was to get to the prison and tell him what was happening in person so that it didn't then come through another person. As the two of them then hugged as Marissa wished him luck with Annabella, as well as for him to pass on everyone's love to her, which as they broke apart he promised that he would do.

 **Prison:**

That night as usual Annabella had had a very poor night's sleep, which had happened every night since she was put in this place, seeing as she was now on a constant guard especially at night about something happening to her, so every little sound she heard even if she had managed to drop off to sleep, she was awake once again, especially with every door that was opened and closed nearby, she was awake to check that there wasn't anyone creeping into her cell to come and get her. That night though she had when she did manage to fall asleep enough, been plagued by dreams of the happier times in the relationship that she and Bull had been in, like their first date and the first time that they had made love. The worst thing was the final dream though because she all of a sudden jumped awake in tears, because all she could see was her dream coming true of her worry about his health that she'd had and it was him having a heart attack. The picture she'd got stuck in her head was him looking very pale, but also ignoring all the signs of what was going on with him because of his determination to turn the case he was on around, before finally seeing him walk out of a court room because he had done it and then collapsing on the stairs of the court house outside. The thing that haunted her the most about it was watching as his rolled in his head and became wide. As she got herself as settled as she could from all that, it then set her off and wondering if her dad had managed to get hold of him, was he on his way to help her, and most importantly was he ok and still around to help her?

The only thing that she did regret about waking up with a jump and being in tears was that once again like every morning first thing as she had been doing for the last few months, she found herself starting to feel sick and she moved quickly to the toilet to be sick. She really wasn't sure why it had been going on for so long, but she guessed it was probably like everything else and just down to all the stress that she had been going through.

Not long after she'd had her shower and then attempted to eat some of the breakfast that had been given to her, she had just laid on her bed and was reading when all of a sudden her cell was unlocked and in walked the prison guard Mark Parsons, with his usual sneer on his face. He put her in cuffs and then told her that there was someone from her legal team there to visit her, followed by the threat that if she told them anything about what he'd done then there would be even more trouble for her. As he then led her down to the private visiting area despite his threat she all of a sudden began to feel a lot lighter and she was hoping dearly that it would be Bull there waiting to see her, even if there was also a part of her that didn't really want him to see her like that.

By the time they got to the private area for lawyer and legal team meetings she found herself actually feeling nervous, but also to some extent she also had some mixed feelings, some of them down to seeing Bull and him seeing her in this way, but the other part of course was the way in which the two of them had ended their relationship and the way that she knew that she hadn't really put her feelings for him away, but there was also the way that she had told him that she would never forgive him for the way that he had hurt her and in some ways she knew that she hadn't done that either and also knew that the two of them had a long way to go, even if they were just going to end up being friends at the end of it.

The thing that bought her out of her reverie though was Mark turning round and saying to her that he wouldn't be in the room with her because it had been requested to be a private meeting, but he would know if she had reported anything and she would know what would be coming if she did anything in that way.

As he finally led them into the room and as she spotted Bull she had to try very hard to not let her emotions take over, because all she really wanted to do was burst into tears and have him take her into one of his special hugs. Once she sat down opposite him, Mark went to leave, but Bull then said "Those can come off." Meaning the cuffs, Mark went to protest it, but he then added "The governor gave us clearance for a complete private meeting here, without any restraints or anything else and for it to be just ourselves. If you do not remove them I will be straight on the phone to make a report." So with that with a sneer on his face Mark did take the cuffs off.

After he had left the room, Annabella sat down opposite Bull and for the first time actually took in his appearance properly, realising that he had lost a fair bit of weight, not only that the scruff was gone and he was clean shaven, which then set her thoughts off about the dream she had and for him to have made such drastic changes to himself did it mean that there had been some truth to it?

For a few minutes the two of them just stayed silent, before he then finally took her hand and said "I'm sorry I let you down, I'm sorry that I pushed you away in the way that I did, for hurting you so much and I know that you said you would never forgive me, but I love you so much and I hope that one day, and when all of this is over you will reconsider and perhaps give us another chance?"

Just in that one moment her resolve breaks, especially as she sees so much emotion staring back at her from those gorgeous green eyes of the man that she had missed so much. As she bursts into tears, he lets go of her hand and comes round to give her one of those hugs that she had been so desperate for, and as the hug continues he says with some emotion in his own voice "I promise you that I will do all I can to get you out of here and we will prove your innocence no matter what, and I will always be here for you."

As she begins to settle she does a weak smile as he then lets go of her, but goes onto the floor on his knees and goes back to holding her hands as she answers "I know you will be Jason, which is why I made dad call you, because I knew you would be the only one that could help me. I'm sorry too for what I said and I wish that I hadn't just run away , I know that I did it because it was just so hard for me to see you around, but if I hadn't have done it… well then I wouldn't have been in this mess now. Look I know that we have a long way to go and in time I will be able to forgive you Jason and I think all this has shown me how much I do still love you too, but I think that there will need to be a lot of talking to come when all of this is over."

"I promise you that I will do all that I can to get you back again and also get you back home to New York again, that's if you do come home of course."

She sighs and says "I probably will come home, but even I know now that I'm going to have to make quite a few decisions, because how I am feeling at the moment I don't think that I can face being an agent ever again, so I'll have to decide on what to do next, but there's also dad now as well. I know that we're not that far away from DC, but we were just getting to know each other as this happened and I feel that we've still got a way to go yet."

"Well I don't know about you, but for now let's just say in this year I've learnt the hard way with both my health and loosing you that I need to work on what I want and need in my life… so as we start to work on us and when this is all over how about we go away or something and work on us as well as have a good rest?"

She replies "I'll think about it, but be honest with me Jason; I can see how much weight you've lost and how much better you look since the last time we saw each other and to calm my fears down from the dream that felt so real and scared me, did you have a heart attack?"

"I was going to tell you the truth, but did say to Marissa that I didn't want to tell you in here or while we were worrying about this case, but as you've asked me… yes I did have a heart attack, I went to Arizona to this place for rehab that did really help me. It has been very hard since I've got back with things that have happened, but I promise you that I am working very hard to stay healthy and fit, I've also been back to see Amy since I got back from there and I am keeping a regular appointment with her."

She says "I'm glad that you're ok, but it doesn't feel good that the feelings I had for it happening came true or that the dream I had today may have actually been what happened. I know we will have to talk about this, but I am happy that you are at least doing all you can to stay fit and healthy now."

"So for now we'd better call this a day otherwise we'll run out of time, so tell me what happened with this man that Gibbs thinks set you up?"

She answers "Well first of all have you got some paper?" As he hands over a notebook and pen, she carries on saying as she writes something out "Give this to Cable this will give you a lot of information you may have to use." She then notices the look on his face and then says "What is it Jason?"

"We lost Cable, I'm sorry to spring it on you. She went missing at the same time as I came back to work again after having the three/four months off, we had just started on my first case back at work again and there had been a bridge collapse, later that first day on the case Chunk was waiting at TAC for me when I got back after court, everyone had gone home early because we'd had confirmation on her remains being found, she had been on the bridge at the time."

"I'm so sorry Jason."

He says with some sadness "I do still miss her you know? But we have got someone new with us now, her name is Tara and she used to work at Homeland security with Marissa, so I'll make sure that she gets this, talking of Marissa she sends her love along with everyone else."

"I know you probably miss her, strangely she was one of the ones I did really miss as well, along with Marissa, so please thank her. You know me and Cable did stay in touch for a while, but in the end things just trailed off. It's a real shame about what happened too because I know that she was looking forward to the trip as she was planning on it probably as you did the last case." She then pauses and adds "Ok, other than what is in the code in the hidden file you get there, the other thing was he thought I was taking what should have been his job away from him."

"How do you mean?"

She answers "Look I know for a fact that he was never even in the running for the job anyway, because he got in his application after the closing date anyway, but also and I'm not sure if agent Fornell knows this or not, but something had happened during the last case that this agent was on, and even my sources haven't told me exactly what happened, so I can't tell you that. All I can say is that everyone thinks that with the events that happened and then his application for the job going in as soon as the team he was on got back to DC, he was trying to in part get away from his problems. The only other thing I know was that due to the events he has been put under investigation, so even if he had managed to get the application in on time, then he wouldn't have been up for the job anyway because of it. I don't believe any of the stuff that has come up over me killing the victim of this because of him being a relative of one of my dads killers, but along with the revenge for getting his job factor, I'm suspicious about the agent as well, because quite a few of my sources have also told me that his whole file seems to be a bit suspicious in his background stuff and things, plus there's loads about him being bought up by his mom as a single parent, but there is nothing at all in there about his father, there's also other stuff rumoured not to have made it into his file as well, which normally would be there because of it being apart of the checks the FBI do on you when you apply to be an agent. Plus why would I want revenge on a relative anyway? Dad investigated and found out who did it, one of them I know was killed in action just before he could be arrested, but the other two were arrested and are now both serving their time and I'm happy just to know that they are in jail where they should be. If you do get to meet this agent Sacks though you'll soon see why dad doesn't like him all that much, because he's one of those people that think he's above everyone in the pecking order and that everyone they pull in even just to interview is guilty of the crime that was supposed to have been committed, and again from sources I know that he has been in trouble for that as well, not only over the people he had in with Dad's team, but also other occasions as well."

"Well I promise you that we will look into every angle with this Sacks and find out why you have been set up for this, because I know that you are innocent and could never do this, even if I didn't know you in the way that I do I would know that you didn't do this."

Just as he finishes saying it his phone goes, so he takes it out of his pocket, looks at it and says "I'm not going anywhere, but I need to answer this." He then goes to the side of the room, talks for a few minutes and then comes back to her taking her hand, as he then says "We've struck lucky, once Benny, Kerry, Gibbs and Bishop get here, we're all escorting you to your cell for you to get packed up and you're out of here, although you are going to be under protective custody."

She says in some surprise "How, what's going on?"

"I'm not sure as they said they would explain everything later, but Kerry and Benny had managed to get a bail hearing and were thinking that they were just going to get you out of here for that. Tara had been working on some of that CCTV stuff and not only managed to get into the hack, got the evidence to show how the person that did it, did it to make it look like you weren't with the team and your dad. It's been enough to get the charges dropped for now, but Gibbs isn't trusting that either the person will attempt to do something else or that they won't actually come after you, so that is why it's got to be protective custody and why we're all going back to your cell with you, just in case they have someone on the inside here."

With that she takes the piece of paper that she wrote the code on and then writes Mark Parsons, and with a movement of his head Bull nods towards the door where they know that he still outside of, to which she nods in the affirmative in their moment of silent communication. Of course with that she could see instantly the look of concern that came over his face, so she looked to him to give her another piece of paper and he ended up giving her the notebook, she then wrote that nothing really bad had happened with him, but she didn't want to chance writing anything else down in case there was an attempt for someone to get hold of the book, but she would give him the book she'd kept well hidden in her cell that documented everything and she would also talk over things with him once she was out of there. As she then actually spoke and said "Because right from the off with us now, I don't want us hiding anything from one another now."

To which he responded "And I want that very much too, but I also want you to promise me something else."

She replied "And what's that?"

"Once we're out of here and even if you are in protective custody you will let us take you to the hospital to get you checked out. I can tell that you most probably haven't been sleeping well in here, and I also know that you haven't been eating properly either, because you have lost so much weight. I know that I had my own health problems and yes I will be standing by you every step of the way in all this, but I don't want to see you ending up in hospital because you are seriously ill."

She then answered as she took his hand "I promise that I will let that happen, but you must promise me first that you will let me go back to dads first, so that I can have a freshen up and get out of this prison stuff, because I don't want to go to hospital while still in this stuff at least, plus I want to have some reassurance for myself anyway."

"How do you mean?"

She replies "Yes I know that the not sleeping well is down to me stressing in here about anyone being possibly let into my cell to do goodness knows what, and that when I did get any sleep I would wake up at any single sound I heard in case it was someone slipping in or something like that, and I also know that me not eating well has been down to my worry and stress as well, but I have also been feeling sick and being sick most of the day from the moment I wake up, to the moment I go to sleep and I would like to find out what's going on with me."

He takes her hand and says "And I promise you that I will be there by your side, whenever you need me to be."

To which she squeezes the hands they're holding and whispers "Thank you" back at him.

Following everyone getting to the prison, everything seemed to happen really fast, one minute she and Bull were on their own and the next thing Benny and Kerry arrived, shortly after that it was Gibbs with Bishop and also the prison governor. Although the main shock ended up being that because Gibbs wanted a few minutes alone with Annabella, but as he'd gone a little bit ahead of Bishop, Mark had tried to stop him entering the room stating that he couldn't go in there because he was Annabella's father and wasn't apart of her legal team. The next thing they knew was that as the governor came up and told Mark that he was allowed to be let in, Mark tried to stand his ground and said that he was sticking with the rules and the governor couldn't just go over the top of those rules because of some father wanting just to get in there more often to see his daughter than any other normal person would. As they got the room door open Benny and Kerry managed to get inside, but Mark's argument with the governor continued and even with the governor finally bringing out her release papers from the court and saying that the NCIS agents were there to escort her to her cell to collect her stuff because she was going straight into protective custody, they then guessed that Mark must have made an attempt of going for her cell because of the way that there were footsteps running away and then shouts from both Gibbs and Bishop. With the way that Bull was holding her hand tightly, she guessed that he was trying to reassure her that they wouldn't let him get anywhere near her cell and start searching it because of him knowing what she wanted to give him from there and what was hidden.

In the end it was quite a long time later that Gibbs finally got back to them, he'd had to call out McGee and Torres because in the end they'd had to arrest Mark because not only had he put up a fight against them, but also because he had been so determined to get into her cell and search it without authorisation because he allegedly knew that she was hiding some contraband in there and he was going to make sure that the court order wouldn't stand and she would be remaining in that prison, but now he'd been arrested and would be fully investigated. To which She and Bull then told him of their suspicions, then after that she surprised both Gibbs and Bull by saying "If it will help keep in a bit longer and so that he can have a taste of his own medicine, I would like him charged with assault." As she saw the look on both of their faces, she took both their hands and quickly added "I was telling the truth Jason it's nothing like that, but let's just say on a couple of occasions he has just been a little handy with his fists, it's all documented in the thing hidden in my cell that I was going to give you and I will also do a statement if you really need it as well."

With that Bull said "And if he is apart of all this as we suspected he most knew or suspected that you were doing something like keep a journal, and that was why he wanted to get into your cell, so he could get to it before you could give it to us or even get it to those involved so that they could forge some things in there to make it look even more like you did the murder."

Gibbs then says "We will charge him if you are very certain about this, but most importantly even though I am proud of you for wanting to do this, I want you to go to the hospital and get checked out, just in case he has caused you some damage that you haven't had treated, and I want you checked out anyway because I also want to see you fit and healthy once again."

She answers "And so do I, as I already promised Jason that I would go, only if you let me go home first and at least get some of this place washed off of me first."

He says "Ok you can do that, but as soon as you have done, it's straight off to the hospital with you. Now I know that I said I did want to have sometime to ourselves, but I think with what has happened we ought to make a move before anything else happens."

 **Home at last**

The moment that they all walked out of the prison doors and before they started to walk to the car Annabella took her first breath of freedom, but the thing she loved the most was the way that both her father and Bull had their arms round her, and even though she knew that she was now going to be stuck in protective custody, at least she was home and could at least begin to put some of her life back together once again, although she did also find herself saying a little prayer that it would be freedom for good and that whoever was setting her up wouldn't make an attempt at getting her back into that hell hole once again.

As Annabella was doing her freshen up upstairs in the bathroom, Bull and Gibbs remained in the kitchen to give her some privacy, but to also give them a chance to talk while Gibbs also got a coffee. Gibbs then said as it was ready and they remained where they were in the kitchen "So truthfully how do you think she's doing?"

Bull answered "I have a feeling that it has taken a big toll on her, and I think it's going to take her a long time to recover. I can see that with the way that she has given in over going to the hospital, because with as stubborn as she can get sometimes I fully expected a big fight to get her there, so I must admit that I was surprised she gave in so easily. I know that she also said that she didn't think that she could face being an agent again, and even if we do eventually get some therapy in place for her or something I don't think she will ever find her way back again, even if she is with a team that she trusts implicitly, I think it will always remain at the back of her mind that something like this could happen all over again."

"I know that some of that stubbornness comes from me, but a lot of it also comes from her mom, so you think that she will go for therapy?"

Bull says "I think she will, once we've got the trip to the hospital sorted out I'm going to get in touch with a friend in New York and see if she knows someone she could recommend, unless you know someone?"

"Well there is Dr Cranston. She's a psychologist who works with us at NCIS and she is very good, but she does have a history with us, and to cut a long story short she is the sister of agent Kaitlin Todd, who was killed by Ari Aswari a very long time ago now. I can see though that she is also going to need a lot of building up, she's lost so much weight, and I hate to say it about my own daughter, but she looks like a puff of wind will just blow her over."

Bull says "That she does and it does worry me when she said that she'd been sick constantly, but I don't understand why she didn't go to the Dr there. I know that we're going to have make sure that we follow any plans that the hospital put in place to get her eating and things properly once again, but I also want to make sure that we are there with her when they go through things because I am concerned that they may try to admit her because they think she has an eating disorder or something, which I really don't think is the problem. I think that it's stress and there may also be something else going on as well, but to what it is I haven't got a clue."

"What about the journal?"

"I will go through it, even if I don't really want to do it because I know it's going to be very difficult to read it, even if she has given her permission that we can, it still feels wrong doing it. Anything it throws up I will obviously either give it to you or my team, because even though we're not working towards a trial now with her, I hope, I do still have a feeling that we are going to have to do all we can to get the person that did this to her, in case the FBI just tries to palm us off or something. Not only that if she isn't going to be an agent ever again, I would also like to see her go out with her name cleared, rather than a mark on her right at the end of her career there."

Gibbs says "I agree with you there and honestly I would prefer to know the truth and also know that she is clear and no-one can come after her anymore."

"Which is what I want too."

They then get interrupted by a shout from upstairs from Annabella shouting for Bull, he puts his own cup of drink down and goes rushing upstairs, when he gets up there, he finds her on the bathroom floor and dressed, with concern he says "Are you ok?"

She responds weakly "I'm stuck down here Jason, I went dizzy and went down, now I can't get up."

He then gets down and helps her up, as she has another wobble he says "Don't worry I'm here for you."

As she has another wobble she says "I love you Jason." Before she then collapses completely into his arms, he first of all rushes her to the nearest bedroom to check her breathing and pulse, after finding that they're both ok, he sweeps her up into his arms once again and as he moves as fast as he can and as he comes down the stairs he says "Gibbs we need to get her to hospital now!" With that Gibbs grabs his badge and gun as quick as he can, along with the car keys, as he yells at Bishop and Torres to help them get her into the car and with that they rush her to the hospital.

 **A/N:** **Hi, I hope you enjoy the new update! & I know I've left you on a bit of a cliff hanger, but I promise to update when I can!**

 **I was in two minds about whether to stay with Cable still being alive or not, but I decided to keep with some of the latest season cannon,**

 **even though this is AU. I was also in two minds because of not having seen the new person yet, but I think she will be coming into the**

 **next ep that we get here in the UK! For Annabella's dream about Bull having the heart attack I was drawing on some of my own feelings of**

 **how I get affected each time I see the end of season 2, it gives me the shivers every time! Xxx. D. :0)**


	3. Chapter 3

**You Needed Me**

 **Chapter 3.**

 **Hospital:**

By the time the Dr. Matt Williams, came to see both Gibbs and Bull, for the both of them it was feeling like they had been there for hours, he came into the main waiting room and then told them to go with him and they went into the office nearby.

After they had sat down, he said to them "I know that this will be difficult for you both to hear, but first of all I want to assure you that things will be ok, it's just going to be a long journey for you all to her recovery."

Gibbs is the one that finds his voice as he asks "So what is wrong?"

"We have had to put her under sedation, which was the best thing to do for us and for Annabella. I'm guessing that due the stress of everything she has gone through and the stress from her injuries as her body is trying to heal itself, things had just got too much and was shutting down on her, along with the weight she has lost."

Bull then asks "She said she was being sick a lot, what caused that?"

"It's the reason we have also put her under sedation; did she know that she was pregnant?"

Bull replies "I don't think she did, I don't think it had even crossed her mind."

"She is nearly five months to be precise, and yes I know that from talking with my colleague Dr. Liz Burns that again the stress from everything probably didn't help and probably contributed in making things worse, but she has been suffering from a very serious form of morning sickness, which is why it has lasted for most of the day, in this form of sickness, sometimes it can get better after the third trimester, but in rare cases can continue right through to the end of the pregnancy. We will monitor things closely when we bring her out of sedation, but we hope that with her body being given a chance to have some complete rest, that it will then get better and she can get through the rest perfectly fine. The only thing we are concerned about is despite the weight loss and not eating, she was also showing signs of gestational diabetes."

Gibbs says "That could be possible, because I know that from talking to her mom since Annabella found me and us getting reconnected through that, Rachael did also have the same thing during her pregnancy, so how long will she be out for?"

"The worst injuries we found were the untreated broken ribs, that had began to heal and the severe bruising over her body, which were worse on her back. I'm guessing that even if she didn't know she was pregnant somehow in her subconscious she might have known, as not only did she have a lot of defensive injuries on her, it looks like she protected her stomach area the most. So we would like the ribs to be a lot more healed first and through getting all her levels back up again and weight through the feeding tubes and fluids, because it will be a lot easier on her and her system, and will be easier than her trying to do it on her own. For now, we are looking into a couple of weeks, for now and will determine on waking her up depending on what the tests show us. Because of the bringing her weight back up, even when we bring her round again, there will be a chance that along with a diet plan to bring it up in a healthy and safe way, we may also put her onto extra supplements as well."

As Bull clears his throat he asks "When can we see her?"

"We were just getting her comfortable in a room and as soon as we do that I will come and get you. For now, if during this time you want or need to ask anything feel free to let me or Dr. Burns know as we will be the only Dr's working on her case. With knowing the circumstances of this case, I know that you want her to be under protective custody, we have made sure that her room is away from the main corridor and agents can be stationed outside the room and will have a full view of all the comings and goings. The other thing is we have also taken off the visiting restrictions off for both yourself and Dr. Bull, so that if you want to stay and keep guard actually in her room, you are free to do so. I will also ensure that you will receive a list of all staff that will be on the ward each day and also any changes that get made because of sickness because I'm guessing that you will want to check all staff out. If you and Dr. Bull also want to spend the night, I will make sure that another bed will also be put in there."

Gibbs then says "For this case we have someone as a possible suspect for her injuries, because of that will it be possible to have a report on those from you?"

"Yes, I will make sure you get that, I know that you don't know if she went to the prison Dr. or not, and I have a feeling that she may have been to them because I've been trying to get hold of her records for that time, and let's just say I am being railroaded, and I wouldn't be surprised that when I or if I get something, the records may end up being doctored somehow for them to cover their tracks, because there is no way that the injuries would go unnoticed or the fact that she has lost the weight she has done in that amount of time she's lost it in."

Gibbs goes into his pocket and pulls out a card giving it to him and saying "Look if that happens and I'm not here at any time, this is how you can contact me, otherwise you can see me here."

"Thank you agent Gibbs, I will check on how we are going with the room and I will come to get you from the waiting room."

Waiting room:

As the two men headed back to the waiting room once again with both of their heads filled with the news, for Bull his head is filled the most because he knows with how far along in the pregnancy she is, there's no doubt in his mind he's the father of the baby, because it works back to the final night's that they spent together before they split up. In some ways he feels guilty for everything he put her through, but in other ways he's also glad she wasn't around when he had the heart attack and then within weeks of that she had found out about the pregnancy, she would have probably been more scared that she could have been a chance that if he had not survived, she would have been a single mother. Though he was feeling thankful that he was still there and had a determination more than ever that he would help Gibbs find out the truth and if it came to it, he would also work on the side of the prosecution when it came to trial because he wanted to find out who was attempting to set her up and send her to prison and make sure they ended up in prison for a very long time themselves. More than anything else he was also determined that he wanted to be there for Annabella and make a success of a relationship which he really hoped that they would have now, and that whatever happened between them he would always be there for the mother of his child and his child.

Eventually he was bought out of his reverie by Gibbs saying "Tell me the truth; you're the father of her baby aren't you?"

He cleared his throat as he then answered "I am, and it was as our relationship ended that this happened, I actually wouldn't be surprised if it happened around the last time we slept together. I promise you Gibbs that I will do everything I can to make any kind of relationship we have work, but I do love her very much and I am determined to show her how much I do and to win her back again, and I will be here for her and the baby. I suppose in some ways you could say that this is the only good that has come out of the bad, but I am glad in some ways she was away from it all, despite what has happened to her."

"How do you mean?"

He says "look I don't know how much she told you about us, but when we split up she had been pretty worried about me and my health, but I didn't listen. If I wasn't with her at either of our apartments, I was sleeping at the office most nights, drinking, eating junk and lets just say really not looking after myself. When she left, I will admit that all of that then got worse. So much so that I got arrested because I kicked and broke a vending machine I was trying to get a bottle of water out of. On top of her leaving I also found out that my ex-wife was getting re-married at the same time as the incident with the machine. In holding I met this man who was charged with rape and murder of a man and wife and then setting fire to their home. I knew he was innocent, and we went into defending him in a death sentence case, we lost the case and I was still determined to prove his innocence, so we all went all out to do it or rather I did, ignoring all the symptoms and signs I had been getting for a heart attack. The night before it happened I didn't sleep at all because I was at the FBI with the wife of the man that turned out to be the real murderer in the case. When it was all over I walked out of the courtroom feeling breathless, with pains in my arm and chest, I then collapsed and had the heart attack on the steps of the courthouse. While waiting for the ambulance that I'd called to come, all I could think of was the words of my ex when I went to see her saying I was no good alone, and also that last argument that me and Annabella had in the realization I had thrown away the best thing that had happened since Izzie, as I was also thinking about all the good times we'd had and how much I loved Bella and do still love her."

"You have had a wake up call, and I would say for now you make a real go of this second chance you've both been given in more ways than one, but I think she was probably thinking this may be the chance for the both of you to repair things because of the way she wanted you to help her, I don't think she would have done that if there was a zero chance for the both of you, and as the Dr. said she may not have actually known about the pregnancy, but somehow must have known it subconsciously because of the way she has tried to protect herself, and possibly reached out to you because of that, because she knew the two of you needed to find it out together. Look I don't mind about what happens with your future together, whether it be here in DC or New York, because I know that you will always come to see me if it is New York and I will also come to you, but do know this that if you hurt her again, then you will have me to answer too."

He answers "I know I will and I promise that I will never do it to her again. Obviously for now me and the team will be here to help with the investigation and if need be, I will also stay around to help with the prosecution of the case when we get whoever has done it. When we go back to New York eventually, I won't make her go back with me, I will leave that decision up to her. If we are to live separate lives for a while, so be it, but I do promise you Gibbs that I will always be around for both her and the baby, and I don't want to miss out on anything important during the pregnancy. Especially as probably by the time they wake her up again and the stage she now is that baby will be kicking and moving inside her, so she will wonder what's going on inside her, and we will be the ones to break it to her what it is."

"Well, the best thing may be that you are the one to break it to her, but I will also be there for the both of you when you do it."

Bull replies quietly "Thank you… So the next thing is what are we going to do about telling her mom what has happened?"

"I thought that I want to make sure that everything is ok with Anna first of all, then I would go into the Navy Yard to ensure that everything is in place for the teams to stand guard, as I think it should be done between both my team and also Balboa's team, as they're the only other people I would trust with this. After that I thought that I perhaps ought to be the one that goes to New York and tells her. I know that I have been keeping her updated with everything that has been going on although I hadn't given her an update as yet about you coming on board. I do think though that this update and her being in hospital should really be given to her via in person rather than over the phone, especially as I think she should also have the option over if she's going to be here or not and I'd much rather be with her and make sure she's protected, because I don't trust the person that's doing this trying to get her mom or one of us instead if they don't think they can get to Anna."

Bull says "I think that could be a good idea, if you need anything while there give us a shout as I can help you out if you need it. Before you go, I'll also ensure that you can have the keys to my apartment to use while you're there. And being here while you're gone, I will also keep an eye on the case closely and will make sure I keep you updated on any news that comes in both ways."

"Thank you and I will let you know what we're doing and when we will be on the way back.

 **Back at the Navy Yard:**

Once they had both got into see Annabella, they both had private time at her side, before Gibbs then headed off to the Navy Yard. When he first got there Vance asked to see him, so he'd headed straight to see him. Gibbs was then quite surprised when Vance told him that even though officially they shouldn't have anything to do with the case, because of knowing he would want to be at his daughter's side and having heard about the trip to New York the MCRT could do their jobs, but they couldn't do it with them being on the protective detail, so that would continue with whoever was left and because of how Bull's team had now got settled, so he would allow them to get their heads together and work towards finding out who it was that had set Annabella up, so with that they sorted out the protection detail rota with as he had hoped it to be members of Balboa's team helping them with that.

Once they had finished talking Gibbs called Marissa asking her to get the team together, as they would be having a meeting with everyone in the bullpen, so then by the time they all got downstairs everyone was congregated into Gibbs team area.

For the meeting Gibbs stood in front of his desk and whistled for everyone to quieten down, after that he then did a speech explaining that Annabella had been put under sedation because of her injuries and because of the exhaustion, so that her body could get the rest it needed, which had been what he and Bull had agreed on, because they wanted to at least wait to tell everyone the pregnancy news either after they had told Rachel the news or when Annabella had been woken up and they could then do the news together. He then explained that they would share the protective detail with Balboa's team and that they would get lists of the staff that would be on duty each day from Dr. Matt Williams or Dr. Liz Burns. He or Bull would most probably be there for most of the time, but everyone was also very welcome to visit her, they would just have to let them or the protection detail know. For now, it would also be mostly Bull they would have to tell because he was off to New York to let Annabella's mom know what had happened. The director had also given his clearance for both Bull's team and the MCRT to carry on the investigation, although the only thing he didn't want happening was for him to either get an irate call from Fornell while he was in New York or him on his doorstep when he got back because they had overstepped the mark or something, so they were all to be careful. After that he took his leave to head home and pack as he would then do another check in with Annabella at the hospital before he headed off to New York.

 **After Gibbs speech:**

After Gibbs had left and as everyone dispersed as everyone from TAC headed back to where they were set up, Marissa held back behind everyone for a while, then once Benny had caught up with her she said "Look we know how Bull feels about Annabella and with this now happening to her I think we will need a plan."

"How so?"

She responds "Well with Gibbs having gone to New York and Bull most probably not wanting to leave her side, which we know will not do him any good, so I'm thinking we need to go to the hospital and keep an eye on him, even give him a break."

"I agree, so what are we going to do?"

She answers "I think we should take him some food in or one of us stay with Annabella while we take him off to get food, because if this leads to him not sleeping and eating junk again it won't do him any good and if he wants her back again, he won't be doing much in ways to prove that he will be doing all he can to win her back again."

"I agree, but how are we going to do it without him knowing what we're up to, because you know if he realises what we're up to, he'll go stubborn on us and will carry on what he's doing, anyway."

She says "I know, we'll have to think of something, lets just for now take something into him later on and see what happens."

"Ok I agree to that, and you never know we might end up having a miracle as he may surprise us and behave."

They both then chuckle as they head into their office area and he then adds "Come on let us get this case sorted out and solved, then that way not only will he get some rest, but we might also manage to get back home."

 **Gibbs house:**

Gibbs had not been at home for long when there was a yell from downstairs, so he bought his now packed bag down with him to then say as he got to the bottom "What is it Fornell?"

He answered "Look my team have now been officially pulled in for this investigation, but I know that you and the team won't stay away from it no matter how much you're ordered too, we also know Dr. Bull's team will be remaining here. So my director has said we can work together on this, especially with what's happened today."

"And what's that?"

He replies "The IG investigation into the case that Sacks was on that went down the pan concluded today, he has been found to be the one at fault and has been charged. He is also now where Annabella was because he has also been charged with the murder of the agent that was killed in the incident and wasn't given bail; I've come straight to you from the hearing."

"That's good news Tobias; call Vance so he can brief the teams because I'm off to New York. You can also do me a favour as I am just going to pop in and see Annabella before I go, you can also give the news to Dr. Bull."

Fornell says "Are you sure that's a good idea Gibbs, you seeing Rachel after all this time?"

Gibbs sighs and replies "I don't know if it is, but I think with what's happened it's better for her to learn about it from me, rather than it being done by a phone call to her, not only that I think it's probably better for Bull to be here with Annabella, especially if they wake her up before we get back, and the two of us have been getting along better even before this happened just from having the odd talk on the phone, after we'd had that long talk not long after Anna got here. So what else is there Tobias as I really must get going."

"Let's just say I am glad about the protective detail on Annabella, I know that she may be safe now that Sacks is where she was, but I don't really trust him. I've sent everything onto Jack, but I think this is something more than just him killing whoever it was that had the connection to her father's murder, it's like he has just got a total obsession for her with what was found at his apartment, there was so much that a lot of it was just skipped through, and why I sent it to Jack for her to try to get a handle on it. If we do also find enough evidence to also charge him with that murder, I'm already wondering if he did it because of the obsession and thinking she might have gone to him because he killed someone that was just a relative of one of the ones that killed her father."

"Well, Jack should be able to tell you what this all may be about."

Fornell says "That's what I thought, so I would also say that I want to volunteer to help with the protection detail, and it will only be me because other than Tara I wouldn't really trust the rest of the team that's been put together for this much. I also want to do it because Annabella is a really great agent and on the couple of occasions we've worked together I could see how good she was."

"I know that she's a good agent, but the thing is we may have lost her for good with all of this happening. It will be a long road for her in her recovery, but she admitted to Bull that she knew she would have to make a few decisions about being an agent and going back to work when she had got through everything, and getting her fitness and health back up again, but the way she was talking to him about it, I do have my doubts she will ever be back again as an agent. Not only that if she and Bull manage to get themselves sorted out, then she could quite easily be back again to New York."

Fornell responds "It will be a shame to loose her, but after what has happened, then I wouldn't blame her for not wanting to come back again."

With that Gibbs goes to get his badge and gun as he says "Come on." To Fornell as the two men leave the house.

 **Late night at the hospital:**

Bull had just settled in once again in the seat at Annabella's side, even though he had promised both Marissa and Benny that he would look after himself, and that until Gibbs got back from New York, he would make use of the bed in her room, he knew he would find it tough not falling back into his old ways, but with this second chance he had been given with Annabella he was determined that he would stick to his guns. So he had gone for something to eat out of the hospital with Marissa, while Benny had sat with Annabella, with the promise of a phone call if anything happened while they were gone. Then a bit later on Marissa had been the one that had sat with Annabella, giving Bull a chance of returning to the hotel where he'd had a run on the treadmill in the hotel's gym and then had a freshen up in the shower, before he'd got some night things together and had headed back to the hospital once again to take his seat at Annabella's side.

As he sat there holding her hand and running his thumb over her knuckles and back of her hand, he said "I promise you Bella I will always be here right by your side, I love you and I know that I have got a long way to go with proving to you that I have changed and I will stick to everything, because I so want to see you fighting fit and back with us, but more importantly I want to be here with you bringing up our child together. I am just going to get ready for bed, and then I will sleep in the bed next to you, seeing as your dad has gone to New York to see your mom and tell her about what happened to you, so other than Bishop and Torres being outside as your protective detail, I am the only one here at the moment to protect you in here. Although I have a feeling that if Gibbs brings your mom here when she gets the news, you may end up having to wake up and protect me, because I have a feeling that she might end up killing me when she finds out you're pregnant." He smiles to himself and gets up before going into the bathroom he kisses her on the forehead and runs his fingers through her hair as he whispers "I love you Bella." As he then goes to the bathroom and gets ready for bed once settled in the bed next to hers he says a quiet "Goodnight." As he settles down to sleep.

 **A/N:** **I surprised myself by managing to do this chapter a bit quicker than I thought I would, well**

 **I suppose being ill with a throat infection can have some advantages because I've been doing more writing**

 **this week because of it! I also decided that it was a good idea to leave the chapter where I did too because**

 **originally I was going to be including Gibbs trip to New York to tell Rachel the news about what had happened**

 **to Annabella, but then thought this chapter might end up being a bit long, so that will be coming up next**

 **time! Xxx. :0)**


	4. Chapter 4

**You Needed Me**

 **Chapter 4.**

 **Early morning TAC office:**

As Marissa walked into the office she nearly jumped out of her skin when she came face to face with Bull as she stuttered out "Is everything ok, what are you doing here?"

He replied, "I just popped in for an update on things, Bishop is with Bella as she wanted to have some time with her before she went home after having done the night duty."

She then said "Well, Taylor got into the things that Annabella gave us, and boy there is so much information on this Sacks, well as much as she could get anyway. Danny is going to get with some of her contacts today to see what she can find out."

"That's good, while she's at it let her look into this obsession he's got with Bella and see if anyone else knew about it."

"What do you mean Bull?"

He replies "Just before he left for New York, Gibbs came in with agent Fornell from the FBI, he'll also be in during today to come and introduce himself. He's on the case over Sacks, but he will also be helping us out as best he can in our part of the case. When they searched his place following his arrest they found a whole load of stuff that pointed out an obsession with Bella, all the stuff has gone to Jack Sloan to get her thoughts on things, also ask Taylor to search online and see if by any chance he may have put something up online or hidden something online somewhere."

"Will do, so how are you holding up?"

He replies "I'm ok, just praying that everything will be ok with Bella and that we can make a real go of things this time because I do really love her."

"I know you do Bull, but she's a fighter through and through, so I know that she will get through this and that you will make it you're both strong and can do this"

"That's only if her mom doesn't kill me first if she comes back here with Gibbs."

She chuckles and says "I don't think she will do that, after all, it was Annabella that came to you and I think that will show her something, and if you show her that you are here to help Annabella and will always be by her side from now on, then I'm sure that she will give you that chance."

"I really hope so… anyway, I'd better be off and get back to her, especially with Bishop having been sitting outside all night, I'm sure she'll be wanting to get some rest."

She says "Ok, would you like us to bring you some lunch later or just come to sit with her so you can get some rest or whatever?"

"That would be good, as I'll probably just head back to the hotel or something, as well as yourselves coming in tell the others they are more than welcome to come and see her as well, and I'm sure that even if she remembers none of that and we end up telling her who came into see her, I'm sure that Bella would love to know how much everyone is behind her."

"Will do."

 **Jacks office:**

Just as Bull was making his way out to go back to the hospital, he walked past an office with what looked like a blonde woman studying some of the many files she had got in front of her; she was sitting at a sofa and the files were all piled up on the coffee table in front of her. To begin with, he thought he would get away with just walking past and leaving her to whatever she was doing, but now she looked up and saw him there so she said "Dr. Bull?"

He nodded and went in as he replied: "I am, and you must be Jack Sloane?"

She got up, and they shook hands as she answered that she was before she went back to sit with the piles of folders in front of her, he said: "So how is it going with that lot?"

"It's a lot, but I will get there, at the moment it is looking like your theory of Saks being obsessed with her is correct, the thing I can't find is how, why or when it all started because from what I've read so far it's like it has been going on for quite a long time, even before she came to DC, but from checking through their records they have never been in the same area at the same time."

He then suggests "Could it be possible that they trained at FLETC together?"

She shrugs and carries on "By the look of that record she left months before he began his training… unless there's a chance they ran across each other when he went in for his induction, I'll look into that."

"I've got both Danny and Taylor looking into anything he may have hidden online or by any chance told anybody, if anything comes of that I will get them to tell you about it."

"Thank you, so how are things with you?"

"They're ok, but I am worried about how all this will affect Bella." He then pauses and goes to check that there isn't anyone out in the corridor to overhear him, but she indicates that he can shut the door, he does that and then sits down to carry on "The thing I'm most worried about is how to tell her she's pregnant when they bring her round again, because by the time they do that he or she will be kicking and moving inside her. I have said something about it already to her, but whether or not it will get through to her, who knows?"

She says "Hopefully she will hear it, but if she asks tell her and try to do it before the Dr.'s do it because it will be better coming from you rather than them. From also knowing her in the way that I have done in this short time, I know that it will take her time to get through all of this, she was a very strong woman and I could see how hard it hit her, and the way she has crashed I think it may be one of those situations where you may find that yes she will need someone to talk to, but she may mostly want her friends and family around to be there and listen. So I know that you may be itching to go back home when all of this is over, but my advice would be to stay until you think she's strong enough to make that move back or even do it in just a gradual way."

He replies "Well, I was thinking about doing something like that anyway, especially as I've already said that I want to be involved in this until it's conclusion and would be here to be apart of the prosecution team, and be there for her, but I also know that through all of this we have got to have the chance and time to repair our own relationship… and this isn't just because she's pregnant, I pushed her away when I know that she was trying to help me and I hurt her badly."

"I know that you will have to do some work to show her that she can trust you again fully, but I could tell that even though she was hurting, she also wanted to get something back that she truly wanted. Being together for this will probably help you, but most importantly whatever you were doing before, is really do your best not to let those habits creep back in again, because if she does see any of that coming back in again, then she will walk away from you and there will be no more chances."

He responds "And I will do that, even if at times at the moment I am finding it very hard not falling into the bad habits now."

"If you feel you need anything I can get you set up with some of my contacts or my door is always open and you can come and talk to me, you don't have to come and see me just because it's something involving this case."

He smiles and says "You never know I might take you up on that, seeing as I may just pop in around this time to catch up with the team if they haven't come to me with something during the day. I'd better get going anyway as I left Bishop with Bella and after having done the night-shift already she's most probably desperate by now to go home and get some sleep."

"You could probably be right about that, and I'll probably come along myself at some time, and you know if at any time you want a break, just give me a shout as I'll be happy to come and sit with her."

He replies "I will do, and thanks. Marissa is doing it at the moment, but if there is any time she can't so it, then I'll give you a shout."

As he finally gets up and heads to the door, as he opens it she says "And remember I do mean it that my door is open at any time."

He smiles and then walks out.

 **New York:**

For Gibbs the journey to New York had gone well with no hitches, although as he sat there on the plane, all he really wanted to be doing was sitting at Annabella's side, he knew this was for the best and that he should be the one to tell Rachael what had happened, but he felt a slight bit of nerves about it because he had promised to keep her safe, and yes when he had made the call about the murder charge, along with having kept her updated with everything, he knew that as soon as she saw him on the doorstep when he got there, she would be instantly fearing the worse. Even before the murder charge had happened the two of them had talked more, especially as to some extent they both carried some guilt about what had happened in the past, and she had also apologized to him for having kept his daughter from her and they were both now in a lot better place than they had been.

The first place to go to when he arrived in New York was to go to Bull's apartment, and even with Bull's confession over what had happened between him and Anna, from his initial look round the place he could tell that the place was starting to get a more lived-in feel to it, as more personal items were in there, but in some ways there was still that feeling of someone not really having cared before because of how they weren't really spending much time in the office. The other thing he could see though was how much Bull loved Anna, with the photo's that were dotted around the place, either herself on her own or pictures of the two of them together. His particular favorite of her on her own was the canvas above the fireplace, she had just a small smile on her face, as she looked miles away, but he guessed that if Bull had been the one to take the picture, she must have been looking at something with him on or something just off the camera, because she wasn't looking directly at the lens. He thought to himself that when they got back to DC again, he would have to try to remember to ask Bull for a copy of the original photo, but he also started to think about making a frame for that picture as a surprise too. When he also looked in the study, he could also tell very much that it had been a space that the two of them shared, and that Bull had left her half of the desk untouched after she had left, with the way there was a pile of her things, plus a picture of Bull sitting in the cubby hole in front of her and then the same thing on Bull's side of the desk. It also made him smile when he saw that in a tiny frame below the picture of Anna was a love note she had left him at some point and it had obviously been special to him through the way he had framed and kept it.

After having sorted himself out in the spare room, he then made his way to Rachael's, with of course a stop at the nearest coffee shop to get a coffee, partly because he was desperately in need of one, but also because he hoped that it would settle some of the nerves he was feeling, as after all this was the first time that he had laid eyes on Rachael since the final night they had spent together before he had returned to the US and then had headed into the ill-fated marriage to Stephanie. As that thought hit him, he had a small smile to himself as he thought over Bull's words when he had said about the two of them having spent those last few night's together before Anna had left for DC, and how in some ways history had repeated itself for both mother and daughter, because he had left and Linda ended up pregnant with Anna, and Anna had left Bull and was now pregnant with his child.

As he arrived at the house, he took a deep calming breath to ready himself for what was to come, in the end though he was in for a surprise, because as he opened his eyes following getting out of the cab and taking that breath, the front door was open and Rachael was standing there watching him with a worried look on her face. As soon as he got to her, he felt slightly uncomfortable as it appeared that she was studying him closely, she then cupped his cheek and just studied his face, before seeing his own worry reflected back at him through her eyes and the next thing he knew was that he was being drawn into a hug. At first he had tensed up, but then soon found himself relaxing into her and drunk in that familiar scent from all those years ago of the woman that he had loved, and who if they hadn't been withdrawn in the way that they had been done from the op and had to return to the US, he had decided that he was going, to tell the truth to this woman about who he really was. As that memory came back to him, it also made him think back to someone else who had been in that dilemma, when he had fallen in love while being undercover quite a few years later.

Once she had let go of him she said quietly "So what has happened, I know that you had got her out of prison?"

As he sat down he sighed and ran his hands over his face as he answered "We did, but there was an incident when we got her home… how did you know that, anyway?"

She replied, "Anna called me; I should have called you to check on things, as I had a feeling that something was probably up."

"How do you mean?"

She answered "Because of the sound of her voice, even if I could tell that she was happy to be out of there and that you and Jason had been the ones to get her out of there… but as she ended the call, she said that she would be in touch again in a few days once she had had a good rest and was ready to talk. Then she said to me that I wasn't to be mad at either you or Jason."

He did a weak smile as he said "I don't know our daughter is certainly resourceful, she must have borrowed Bull's cell, as I know that after we had helped her to the bathroom, he had left his jacket in there and it was in his pocket. I'm happy that she called though to let you know that she was out, and I do promise I would have called you myself, but she had made us promise to take her home first so she could freshen up and get out of the prison stuff, even though both me and Bull really wanted her to go straight to the hospital from the prison. We left her alone to have some privacy while she did that, the next thing we knew is that she was calling for Bull, he found her on the floor and she said that she couldn't get up, as he got her up, she completely collapsed in his arms and we rushed her to the hospital."

As a look of shock and worry appears on her face, Gibbs gets up from where he was sitting and joins her on the sofa, as he takes her hand and says "I won't beat around the bush, but she was covered in bruises and we then found out at the hospital there was more to it than meets the eye, because there were signs of old injuries that hadn't healed properly as well as the new ones, so she either didn't go to the infirmary or if she did they didn't treat things or look at things properly. Along with that she had got a couple of broken ribs and was suffering from exhaustion, I don't know how much you knew with her having cut me off, even if I kept the visits up and she wasn't talking much in those last few, but she had been complaining of being and feeling sick all the time, and she also admitted to Bull when he was visiting her before we got her out of there, that she had been worrying about it, because she had lost a lot of weight through it, it turns out she is pregnant and is nearly five months, the doctor said that because of her circumstances there's no surprise that she hadn't even thought about it being a factor with all the stress she's been under. Some of it was the stress, but they also explained that she was suffering from a severe form of morning sickness; the weight loss was down to her not eating properly because of this. They said it should have cleared up after the first trimester, but in some cases, it can continue throughout the pregnancy. The other thing was that she was showing signs of being like you, despite the weight loss in that she was showing signs of gestational diabetes. For now, they have got her under sedation so that both she and her body can get the rest that she so desperately needs."

"But there is more isn't there? I know you, Jethro, perhaps not as well as I did back then, even if you thought that even under your undercover persona you had hidden some of yourself, just from our phone chats I could tell that there was so much of the man that I knew back then in reality."

He sighs and smiles at her as he replies "There is, because it is the truth I was coming to tell you what was going on, but I have also come to make sure you wanted to come to DC with us because we also want to make sure that you are also in protective custody. The man that did this to her is now safely in prison himself, but after what he has done to her, we're not exactly trusting him not having people out there helping him, so along with me or Bull actually being at her side in the hospital we have also got agents sitting outside her room and all the medical staff working on her will be checked every day. We also wanted to make sure you were safe as well, just in case he has people helping, because they are making sure that things have been kept quiet from him as he is in prison on an unrelated matter and being investigated on this by the FBI with my team and also Bull's team all helping with it all. We don't know if he will find out about what's gone on, but we just want to make sure that everyone is safe, in case he makes an attempt at somehow getting to those close to her if he feels that this way hasn't worked, plus I knew that you want to see her anyway and be at her side with us."

"Of course I want to be there with her and also be there for you two men, because if I know you both you'll be running yourselves ragged, which I know will not do Jason any good with his health if he does that, and I can also see that you are looking so tired now."

He says "Well I have sort of been on the go ever since we got her out of the prison, with going to the hospital, then going into NCIS to let them know what would happen and to update them about how Anna was, before coming here, so I suppose that I've only had a couple of hours at the most."

"So when are we going to go back?"

He responds "We'll be leaving later on tonight."

"Ok, I'll go and get you something to eat, because you just can't survive on coffee alone, then you will go and have a sleep in the spare room."

He then says "But what about my stuff, it's at Bull's apartment."

As he's about to keep going, he stops in his tracks because Rachael pins him with a 'don't mess with me' look, that in their short-lived relationship he had come to know so very well. It had also been something that had made him realize that he had wanted the relationship to work out for the two of them, because other than her not having red hair, she was though still very dark auburn, but the red only showed up in certain lights, and what he also loved with their daughter because of the way she had inherited that same color from her mom. There were also certain aspects of her personality that had matched how Shannon was, but in many ways, the two women differed greatly from one another, that look though was one that Shannon would give him and he knew that trouble would come if he didn't do as he was told. With Rachael things were worse because of her own families military service, as her father had been a high ranking commander within the British Navy and her brother had gone onto become a Royal marine, so she had got the poise and posture of them when she was mad, so with that he agreed to having a rest, with her agreeing to wake him up in plenty of time, so they could go and get his stuff from Bull's before they went to the airport. As he went to the room, she had then shown him he had done a very quick check-in call with Bull, giving Rachael the news that everything was still the same, but that the Dr.'s were pleased with her progress because even with her being sedated they had seen in the readings of her vitals that Anna wasn't relaxing as they had expected, but it seemed that when Bull was with her or one of her other friends, she was now letting herself go and letting the sedation take over so she could completely relax, if she continued like that for at least a week, then they would review things on how they would take it. After Rachael then bought him some food, and he sat back on the bed having it, he was quite surprised to find that he was actually hungry, so he ate it and put the empty plate on the side and as he finally laid back, he found that sleep very quickly came and took him.

A few hours later Rachael came and woke him up, they then ate together once again before they headed to Bull's apartment, like Gibbs had been Rachael was surprised about all the pictures that Bull had around the place of him and Anna or just Anna, with her having been around and knowing that Bull was now making a huge effort on himself and trying to stay healthy from what she could see, she found herself praying that everything would be ok and that the two of them would finally get that happiness the two of them deserved.

When Gibbs came into the room with his bag, it was to find Rachael staring at the picture he had fallen in love with of their daughter, so he went and stood by her side, putting his bag down and then just putting his arm around her shoulders, as he said to her "Look I don't know what will happen over the two of them, but I promise you that even if she does eventually come back here to New York to be with him, I will always be by her side… I know that I missed out on a lot and I have loved having her in my life so much since she came to DC, but whatever happens, I will make time for her and for once let the two of us be proper parents to her."

"I agree as I think she will need some stability around her until she is recovered, and I also have a feeling that until everything settles after she has the baby, she will still need us and probably want a lot of help. I remember after I'd had her the Dr.'s and the specialist I had all said that the diabetes would quickly disappear after the birth, but it took longer than they said it would and there were also quite a few problems when they were trying to get me off the medication as things improved, the worst thing of all was being so tired."

He says "Well, let's say that once all of this is over, we come back here and you can then get some more of your stuff and when we return to DC, you can come and stay with me, as I was going to suggest that both she and Bull do the same thing, even if she has her own apartment, that way we can be together as a family until the two of them go off and do whatever it is they want to do with themselves."

"That I think would be a good idea, because we will need to keep an eye on the both of them, don't get me wrong I do love Jason very much, because the two of them were so very good together, but I'm guessing that there will always now be challenges he has to face over his own health and not returning to his old ways. Saying that I am so glad she wasn't here when he had his heart attack because it was all over the news, and it was very difficult for just me to see all that, it would have been ten times worse for her, especially as she was the one that could see it coming."

He says "He has promised me that he will do all he can to not go down that road again and wants to be there for her and the baby, and I also know that at the prison he told her the truth about what had happened because she had somehow known about it and had asked him. I've also noticed in the short time that that team of his are on the quiet watching him and do keep stepping in to make sure he is taking breaks. I just worry that with him saying they will stay on to see everything through to its end, issues may start to crop up perhaps when we get to the stage where we are at trial, because it could end up being that Anna will be near the end of the pregnancy and he will have all that worry on him, on top of doing all the trial preparation, but hopefully with us all round them things maybe that little bit easier for the both of them."

"I hope so."

The two of them then hug one final time, before they leave the apartment and head off for the airport to go and be by their daughter's side.

 **A/N: I know that it's been a while since I last updated anything, but have been quite busy with the preparations for our end of year meeting at church, we had that meeting on Sunday, which should once again free up more time for me once again, as I'll be back to just having meetings every couple of months or so that I will be doing stuff and minutes for, but I hope that you will enjoy this chapter once again! Xxx. :0D**


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